An advocacy group of Canadian librarians formed in 2004 whose goal is to heighten awareness on current issues as they pertain to the profession. The Committee of Concerned Librarians, CCL
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Special Librarians Day - October 25th
Proclamation by the Canadian Library Association
Special libraries provide customized information retrieval, collection and analysis services to their parent organizations: corporations, government, and not-for-profit organizations.
Special libraries tend to be small, and Special Librarians often manage a library by themselves. They are the cataloguing, collection development, database manager and reference specialist, all rolled into one. As such, they deserve to be recognized for their significant contributions to their employing organizations and their profession.
During Canadian Library Month, Thursday, October 25, will be recognized as Special Librarians Day.
Special Librarians Day acknowledges the valuable services provided by all special libraries personnel and information specialists in Canada.
On behalf of the Canadian Library Association/Association canadienne des bibliothèques, I proclaim October 25, 2007 as “Special Librarians Day”.
October is the month to celebrate the significant role libraries play in our communities. October is also the month to acknowledge the contributions of Canadian Librarians!
What is a Librarian? "A librarian is a trained information specialist who holds a university undergraduate degree and a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree. As information experts, librarians search for and find information, collect and organize information, and implement systems and vehicles that make information easy to access from long or short-range locations.
Librarians are trained to find and collect all types of information - books, newspapers, magazines, databases, websites, CDs, videos, government publications and any other type of publicly available data. They are also trained to develop systems to organize and manage this information so that it can be easily retrieved. Librarians design and deliver information services for their client groups as well.
Librarians have a variety of roles available to them, depending on the type of library or setting they are working in. In more traditional settings, such as a public library, librarians can specialize in reference, collection development, cataloguing, children's collections, youth services and library computer systems, to name just a few. In a small special library, at any time librarians may be called upon to work with collections, reference, cataloguing, instruction, or computer systems. This 'jack of all trades' approach is an aspect that appeals to many librarians. In alternative job settings, beyond traditional libraries, librarians are increasingly playing roles as website developers, corporate information officers, and information brokers.
Librarians are the oldest information profession. Now, in the information age, their field is growing rapidly. As the field changes and evolves, those who study library and information science will have many opportunities in the information and technology sector, as well as in different types of libraries."
Proclamation by the Canadian Library Association
